Are you planning to hire lawn maintenance services this coming summer? If so what services do you need and how much will they cost? Most people have no idea what they need to have done and what services are available for consumers. Most of us just cut the lawn once a week whether it needs it or not, we never trim the edges, remove weeds, or add fertilizer. Some people do not even bother watering the lawn and it shows. We have one neighbor who only cuts his lawn once every two weeks if we are lucky and does nothing else. He has the temerity to say to us that from a distance his lawn looks green and healthy.
Never mind when you get up close you can see that it is full of weeds. His dandelion crop is as bad as the properties owned by the city, which is another total embarrassment. It does not take much to maintain a lawn, water, fertilizer, weed control, and regular mowing of the lawn. That is all it takes to have a reasonably nice lawn.
What do Lawn Maintenance Services Include
What are the services that lawn maintenance services companies offer and that you may need if you want your lawn looking great? These services include mowing the lawn, disposing of grass clippings and any other debris that is on the lawn, edging the lawn along sidewalks, adding fertilizer at the right times, and adding weed killer and grub killer at the appropriate times. If you have shrubs and flowers that need trimming, moving, or planting, we are quite sure that they will do this as well. It all comes for a price and it is really up to you how much you do yourself vs how much is completed by the lawn maintenance services company you hire.
Cutting the Lawn
The lawn should be cut once a week and not too short during the summer. The edging should also be completed every week as well at the same time the lawn is being cut. Fertilizer should be added 3 or 4 times a year – spring, early summer, late summer, and fall. Weed killer and grub killer can be added in the spring and also in late august for the grubs. Trimming of shrubs should really be completed in late summer after the plants have flowered. This helps to get them ready for the fall and winter.
You may also want to overseed your lawn to thicken it up. A thick lawn makes it more difficult for weeds to get started. Some locations may also need to be repaired. Either add a piece of sod to replace dead grass or add grass seed. Place good topsoil over it for the seeds to germinate and grow. You will need to water both daily to ensure that the roots take hold and penetrate the soil below. Overseeding is a great way to keep your grass looking thick and healthy as well as keeping the weeds away.
Companies
The lawn maintenance services company should provide a schedule for you to follow and agree to. The more visits you have the more it is going to cost. You may want to consider doing some of the work yourself. Ask for quotes and compare details from several companies before making a decision. Make sure that your quote and estimate are very specific. It should include all of the things that you have discussed and expect to be provided. If it is not on the contract, it likely will not be done for you.